The year 2020 was brutal – and unfair.
More than 300,000 Americans died of COVID-19. Millions were diagnosed with the disease — some of those still suffering long-term effects.
Tens of millions have lost their jobs, and millions have been pushed into poverty.
Throughout this dark period, readers came to our website in record numbers to get the facts on a torrent of misinformation on divisive issues that piled up as 2020 wore on.
The year started with the Senate impeachment trial and acquittal, and the ongoing race for the Democratic presidential nomination – which included more than two dozen candidates.
It was soon hijacked by a pandemic and tensions were further inflamed by George Floyd’s death in police custody and the subsequent nationwide protests.
And, finally, it ended with a general election that unleashed an unprecedented level of misinformation about election fraud and false claims of a “rigged” election.
With your help, we were able to provide the facts on all these issues and more.
We created “A Guide to our Coronavirus Coverage” with a list of top stories, videos and expert resources.
We beefed up our coverage of social media misinformation, producing more stories than ever in a year that demanded it.
We created “Swing State Watch” to track false and misleading political messages in key states that would determine the outcome of the presidential election.
We produced “Players Guide 2020,” which features profiles on outside special interest groups that spend tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars to influence elections.
Although we receive funds from foundations and payments from Facebook for our social media work, the fact is it takes more than that to keep FactCheck.org operating. It takes your help.
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We started to accept individual donations in 2010, and we have raised more than $1.1 million since then – mostly in small donations of no more than $25. That support has helped us extend the life of FactCheck.org, which has been operating now for 17 years.
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Thank you for all of your support. Have a happy holiday, and a safe and healthy new year.